This application claims the priority of Korean Patent Application No. 2003-53394, filed on Aug. 1, 2003, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wireless communication device in which an input/output port for connecting to an external electronic device, such as computer, is integrated with an antenna.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a wireless communication device, such as a cellular phone or PDA, includes an input/output port for coupling to a personal computer and includes an antenna. The antenna of the wireless communication device provides distance and quality for the wireless communication. The input/output port may enable the control of an internal program installed in the wireless communication device by using the personal computer and may enable the exchange of data between the wireless device and the personal computer. The input/output port included in the cellular phone or the PDA is connected to the personal computer via a cable, which is provided by a manufacturer of the cellular phone or the PDA.
The personal computer includes various kinds of the input/output ports for communication with peripheral devices. For example, it includes a parallel port, a serial port, a universal serial bus port (i.e., USB port) and an IEEE 1394 port. Among those input/output ports, only the USB port includes a terminal for supplying power as well as a terminal for communication. Thus, the USB port makes it possible to drive a small-sized data storing memory device while performing data communication at the same time.
FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of the above-described personal computer, the cellular phone, and the small-sized data storing memory device.
Referring to FIG. 1, the personal computer comprises a main body 11, a monitor 12, a keyboard 13, and a mouse 14. The monitor 14, the keyboard 13, and the mouse are each connected to the main body 11 using cables.
The cellular phone 15 includes an antenna 16 on the upper side of the body and an input/output port 17 on the lower side of the body. The antenna 16 of the cellular phone 15 is provided in such a manner that it may be inserted into or pulled out of the body of the phone. A connector 18a of a cable 18 can be connected to the input/output port 17 of the cellular phone 15. The other connector 18b of the cable 18 may be connected to the input/out port (not shown) included in the main body 11 of the personal computer.
A small-sized data storing memory device 20 is connected to the USB port (not shown) installed at the main body 11 of the personal computer via a USB cable 19. The USB cable 19 includes a socket 19a at one end thereof and a connector 19b at the other end thereof. Accordingly, the connector 21 of the small-sized data storing memory device 20 is inserted into the socket 19a, while the connector 19b of the cable 19 is connected to the USB port (not shown) of the body 11.
The wireless communication device, such as the cellular phone as shown in FIG. 1 includes the following problems. Because the wireless communication device needs to use the cable 18 provided by the manufacturing company of the device when coupling to the personal computer, the cable became an indispensable item if a user intends to control the wireless communication device by using the personal computer. However, as the cables for wireless communication devices may differ from each other according to manufacturer and model type, compatibility with various cables cannot be assured. Moreover, the input/output port 17 is generally located on a side of a wireless communication device (such as the cellular phone 15), and this location may adversely affect the external design of the wireless communication device. Furthermore, the input/output port 17 may require a separate cap for protection, and may impose a restriction upon design.